Black hole at the centre of a galaxy. This artwork is based on data from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) suggesting that supermassive black h

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Black hole at the centre of a galaxy. This artwork is based on data from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) suggesting that supermassive black holes can stifle the formation of new stars in elliptical galaxies. The radiation (blue) emitted by material near the black hole is so great that it blasts away the gas needed to form stars. A ring of gas and dust that surrounds the black hole, known as the torus, is shown in grey. The red stars beyond this are existing stars in the galaxy.

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Size: 3322px × 2658px
Photo credit: © JPL-CALTECH/NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: artwork, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, black, blasting, centre, death, dust, emission, exploding, explosion, galaxy, gas, hole, illustration, peculiar, radiation, science, space, star, stellar, supermassive, torus